by Skye McNeil
He kneeled down in the snow, and she gasped. “I have a feeling falling for you, Roberta Louise Davis, will happen each day for the rest of my life.”
“How did you find out my middle name?” she asked, skipping over his flowery words.
“Really? That’s what you’re getting out of all this? Your name?” he teased with a roll of his eyes. “I’m knee deep in the snow wondering if you’ll marry me and you want to know who spilled the beans about your middle name.”
“Um, yes?” Bobbi covered her mouth with both hands. Her eyes bugged when Jared held out a light blue jewelry box.
“Yes to my question?” He paused. “Or yes, you’ll marry me?”
She toyed with her scarf when he opened the box to a princess cut two-carat diamond on a platinum band with a slew of smaller gems running along both sides. “Well, technically you never asked me the second one.”
Jared shook his head, and a smirk played his lips. “Bobbi, you made my Christmas list this year and the rest of my years if you say you’ll be my wife.”
Shock filled her gut from both his words and the realization about the article. “Wait, you knew?”
“Knew you thought a stupid article could sway me when you already did it yourself? Yes, now—”
“For the love of God, answer his damn question before I turn into a snowman,” an annoyed voice called from the trees.
She caught sight of the large man and knew without a doubt it was Spencer. “Let me guess. It’s not the abominable snowman?”
“Yeah, no, I had to bring him along. He’s a good guy, I swear. Just not a fan of being in the snow again so soon. He’s the one who wouldn’t let me give up on you. I’m glad I listened to him for once.”
“Well, then, I suppose I’ll be nice to him.” Waving at the other man, Bobbi bent down in the snow and cupped Jared’s smooth face. She preferred the beard but could get used to this version of him, too. His light green eyes were filled with uncertainty, and she hated to see such an emotion in them. Even if he didn’t say the words, she couldn’t keep the answer from him any longer. He was the man she’d been waiting for her entire life. He was smart, sexy, a little rough around the edges, and perfect in every way.
“Yes.”
His eyes lit up, hope lining the green shade. “Yes?”
She nodded enthusiastically. “Yes, I’ll marry you, Ranger.”
A smile bigger than a New York skyscraper covered his cheeks. He hauled her into his arms and kissed her with abandon. All Bobbi could do was hold on tight. The more he kissed her, the more she felt her arms turn to a pudding consistency. He did that and so much more to her.
“Good because otherwise, I’d write an extremely nasty letter to the magazine editor,” he teased, pulling back enough to meet her gaze.
“How long did you know?” she asked, curious at the answer. She thought she’d been cautious with the magazine and her intentions.
Jared gently pressed his lips to her mouth. “Know what? Know you were using stealthy tactics to win me over or know I was in love with you when I saw you in New York City?”
“You were?” She blushed when he nodded.
“Oh, hell yeah.” He squeezed her hips and kissed the side of her neck. “I couldn’t stop having feelings for you, Bobbi. I didn’t want to go through the pain of losing another person. It’s tough to say, but I was too afraid to admit them.”
“So was I,” she admitted.
Jared studied her face. “What changed your mind?”
She wiped a snowflake from his hair. “I realized there was no one else like you. Nobody would understand me the way you do. I didn’t want to miss out because I was afraid of what might happen.”
He pulled her off glove and slid the diamond ring on her finger. “What about now? How do you feel?”
Bobbi pressed her lips to his and didn’t let go until she was breathless. “Home. I feel like I’m home as long as I’m with you.”
Wrapping his arms around her again, Jared yanked her on top of him and into a snowdrift. From the edge of reality, she heard Spencer joke about them making a snow baby. Well, if she had any say, Jared wasn’t leaving St. Elmo or her embrace until she was tired of him. She stared into his eyes that so easily swayed her feelings for him and knew it would never happen. Not so long as he loved her. Together, they were invincible.
Epilogue
18 months later
Crickets chirped amid the stacked logs on each other while chubby chipmunks stuffed their mouths full of sunflower seeds strewn along the timber. A mild breeze overtook St. Elmo, but it didn’t make the day any less glorious.
A toddler sneezed outside the newly rebuilt general store, and Bobbi grinned when both Asher and Jessie raced toward their daughter with tissues at the ready. It was starting all over again. Another Davis—well Whitaker, to be more accurate—family sprouted memories in the ghost town above Timberline. It came as no shock that her sister had a girl. It was a Davis tradition.
Jared’s long arms encircled her waist and settled on her stomach. Almost a tradition nearly Davis woman kept. She, on the other hand, tended to break the mold whenever possible.
“I like Asher’s idea of coming up here for summers. It’s a fine place to explore and expand.” He kissed the spot on her neck below her jaw. “What do you say, Mrs. Whitaker?”
Leaning back, she kissed his chin. It was scruffy, just the way she preferred it. “I think we can agree on such a vacation.”
His hands drifted around her swollen belly, the baby within kicking furiously. “Good because I already bought the land next to Asher’s. It won’t have a high-tech security get-up like theirs, but I’ll build you a nice little place to live.”
She tried to feign disbelief, but could only manage a playful swat to the back of his head. It wasn’t military length any longer. Not since they found out she was pregnant. Moving to face him, Bobbi was glad he went with a desk job within the Army Reserves. She was able to see him on a daily basis, and anytime he left, she was confident he’d return.
Cupping his face between her palms, she guided him closer until his lips hovered above hers. Flying out to not only surprise Jared but also marry him while on a job in Switzerland last year was the highlight of her time with him thus far. Plus, not many children could brag they were conceived in a foreign country. Neutrality was void in the short leave the Army gave him. A week to be exact. He more than made up for their short honeymoon when he came home to their upstate New York home two months later.
“I love you,” she reminded with a smile.
Jared’s lips curled into a smirk. “Trying to throw me off my game, aren’t you?”
“Maybe.” She huffed and took a step backward. Her husband knew her too well. She reached around and pinched his ideally toned ass. Thank God, he enjoyed working out because she loved to feel his hard work under her fingers.
He chuckled. “Well, sorry, darlin’, but you won’t distract me from the prize.” He whistled through his teeth. “You guys going to watch this or what?”
Without delay, the Whitaker and Davis families crowded around their location. All those present wore a smile.
“I still say this isn’t fair,” she complained when Asher handed her a toy dart gun. The pink suction cup at the end of the dart stuck out like a sore thumb in the green woods. Jared’s blue one looked a tad better.
“We’re both doing it backward.” He positioned himself across from the wall of license plates. “So, yes, my dear, it’s fair.”
Snorting, she took her stance five feet from him. It was Jared’s idea to choose a baby name this way since they wouldn’t agree on one themselves. Whichever dart stuck to a plate first, the winner would choose a name based off the state.
She eyed her husband who wore a positively boyish grin. “Please don’t land on Tennessee, I’m not having a son named Jack Daniels Whitaker.”
The crowd giggled at her plea, but Asher stood before her now while Jessie stood in front of Jared.
> “All right, you two. You know the rules,” Asher began. “We’ll spin you three times, and you get one shot to make the board.” He pulled the blindfold over her eyes and Jessie did the same for Jared. “May the best dart win.”
Bobbi teetered as Asher slowly and carefully spun her. The blindfold wasn’t all black, so she could make out blobs in front of her. When the twirling stopped at last, she swayed.
“Whose bright idea was it to make a pregnant woman dizzy?” one of her cousins heckled.
Ignoring the jabs and jokes, Bobbi squinted her eyes and saw the barn covered in license plates. She aimed and let the dart fly. A soft click beside her let her know Jared also shot his gun.
“I’ll be damned,” she heard her father utter in amazement.
Tearing off the blindfold, she glanced to the wall then to Jared. A huge smile played his face, and he swaggered over to her. Taking her hand, they walked in step to the barn and examined their handiwork.
“What are the odds?” he wondered aloud. Both the blue and pink darts stuck to the oldest Colorado license plate in the upper right corner.
“Colorado it is.” She heard a snap of a camera behind them.
“Well?” Asher prompted.
She giggled. “On the count of three, we say a name fitting of Colorado.”
“Deal.”’
“One, two, three,” the crowd helped out.
“Brecken,” they said at the same time.
Jared’s lips consumed hers within an instant. “I knew I loved you for a reason,” he teased.
He kissed her again and all Bobbi wanted to do was sneak him inside the aged barn. The oohs and aww’s from their families kept her from temptation. For now.
“I guess we can decide on some things after all,” she teased at last.
He wiggled his eyebrows. “And you didn’t even need an article to convince me.”
Bobbi patted his chest and lifted her eyebrows. “Who said I didn’t?”
His eyes widened at the possibility, and she grinned. Jared immediately tickled her sides and wrapped her against his chest. Here she was safe. Here she was home. And all it took was St. Elmo to get her here. Well, and maybe a teeny bit of help from a magazine. Either way, Jared was the prize at the end of the rainbow, and they had the St. Elmo T-shirts to prove it.
The End
About the Author
Skye McNeil began writing at the age of seventeen, and has been lost in a love affair ever since. Each year capable, she participates in NaNoWriMo. Skye enjoys writing contemporary and historical romance novels ranging from sweet and sassy to steamy and sultry. Skye loves spending time with her family including her two cats and two dogs. When she is not writing, Skye enjoys photography, volleyball, meeting new people, traveling, and curling up with a cup of coffee and a good book.
If you enjoyed this book, this author has other works available here:
Author's Web Site
Other Books by this Author:
Collegiate Peaks
Timberline
Mobster Files:
Appointed By Fate
Standalone Title:
Donuts, Diamonds and Assorted Details
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